Help students become polymaths
A monthly donor to Hildegard — a member of the Polymath Society — recently asked me what students will be studying this Fall.
Every semester, in the Foundations of Thought curriculum, Hildegard undergraduates explore a question central to what it means to be human. We purposely name these classes as questions in order to position ourselves as seekers of the truth.
This Fall, we explore the question, “What is the Human Condition?” Students will examine what is possibly the most pivotal distinction in the history of ideas in the west — the question of salvation.
Before the Enlightenment — at least since the epics of Homer, Plato’s acadePolymath Society my at Athens, and the writing of Exodus and Deuteronomy — humans knew that they were broken. Salvation is something we seek, and we seek it outside of us in God, in law, in virtue, in family, in democracy, in the good life.
But in the late 19th Century, European thought changed. With Hegel, Wordsworth, Shelley, Goethe, Nietzsche and others came the opposite view. Humans are not broken, they said. It’s society that is broken. And it is human civilization and its institutions of religion, law, and family that keep us from finding salvation. Salvation is found in the human spirit, buried deep beneath the false promises of society. The first step to finding salvation is to tear down what we’ve built.
No question is more relevant for young people today than the question, “What is the Human Condition?” At Hildegard, we don’t simply answer it for students. Rather, we ask them to read and discuss its history, to entertain ideas that seem wrong to them, to ask honest questions, and in the end, to build a strong and informed case for the truth.
We can’t offer this kind of education on our own. Small discussion seminars. The study of primary historical sources. Meeting students where they are. This sort of mentorship-based learning demands a lot from students, and it demands an equal amount of support from faculty.
It also requires the support of those who believe in Hildegard College. The easiest and most consistent way to contribute to this journey for our students is to join The Polymath Society.
A “polymath” is an intellectual jack of all trades, someone who is fluent in the questions and ideas most foundational to the human experience. Those who commit monthly recurring donations in The Polymath Society fuel our ability to turn young adults into capable and entrepreneurial polymaths.
If you’ve never considered setting up a monthly donation, I invite you to make a commitment now. Go to https://hildegard.givingfuel.com/the-polymath-society and simply select the amount you’re able to give.
And as a bonus for joining the Society, we’ll send you some Hildegard Swag!
Join us in continuing to build something great.
Sincerely,
Matthew J. Smith, Ph.D.
President, Hildegard College
